House of Memories
by TheDecieverOfLumosity
Summary: While seeking vengeance against the betrayers harbored by the Institute of War, Kalista is captured and starts remembering the past that she thought she had forgotten. Inspired by the song House of Memories by Panic! at the Disco.
1. Chapter 1

The waves crashed onto the rocky shore of the Blessed Isles. As Kalista reached the sandy shore of the cove, she slipped off her boots and left them on a flat rock about 100 paces from the sea. The coarse sand tickled her feet as she continued walking towards the water. A pace behind her, she knew that Arcas had done the same.

"How did you find this place?" She asked, her long, dark brown hair fluttering in the mild sea breeze. She almost wished that she had her helm to keep it from getting in her face.

"My parents used to take me here when I was a kid," he replied, standing beside her and looking out to the perpetual storm that surrounded the coast of the Blessed Isles, the breeze moving his significantly shorter, white-blonde locks, "I haven't been here in years, but it doesn't seem like anything has changed.

For a moment they stood in perfect silence, standing side by side, letting the sand work itself between their toes. Far offshore, a bolt of lightening struck the ocean.

"Arcas, I," Kalista began, but she was quickly interrupted as he leaned in. She felt his hands grasp her sides, pulling her closer to him. Just as her lips were to meet his, her eyes opened.

Kalista looked around and saw that she was not on a beach on the Blessed Isles, but in her room in the Institute of War. Well, she supposed that calling it a room was a bit of an exaggeration. A more accurate description would be cell, which is what is was. It was a windowless cell with only a single, heavy door leading to the outside world.

Kalista laid her head back down on her thin pillow and looked at the ceiling. That same dream had haunted her for weeks now, perhaps it was a memory, but she wasn't really sure anymore. The living dead didn't really need to sleep, but Kalista had decided to take it up again as a hobby to kill some of the time she had now that she was locked in her cell. Besides, she thought, it gave her a chance to try and temporarily remember some of her mortal memories. It had been centuries since she had been able to remember, after all. With every soul she took, her strength grew and her sense of self became further and further away. That terrified her because she couldn't simply cease her work; there would always be more vengeance to seek, more betrayers to slay. There were times that she wished she could end it all because sometimes she barely remembered her own name. Her soul was becoming lost among the thousands of others that gave her strength, and she didn't know if there was a way to stop it.

Kalista rose, trying to shake away some of the thoughts. She had little left but her thoughts, so she had to be careful to keep them in check, or else she would end up spending her days wallowing in her own misery. And Gods knew, she had more than enough misery.

Instead of turning towards self-pity, she turned her thoughts to the burning hatred she now harbored for the Summoners. It was they who kept her prisoner in this cell, unable to leave because they possessed her precious Black Spear. Without that weapon, she could not make the pacts which bound those seeking vengeance to her, and she lacked the power to escape.

For the time being, at least, Kalista had to accept that she was a prisoner to the Summoners, and there was little she could do about it.

* * *

So here is the beginning of my latest story. I'm really bad with beginnings, but I have some big plans for this story and I hope you all will like them.

I'm taking a bit of a different approach with this story than with Something to Believe In. At this point, I have most of the story planned out, and I'm working on each chapter whenever inspiration strikes for it, so my updates are not going to be as regular or scheduled as they have been in the past... That being said, I'm already happier with the content that I've made, and that will translate into longer chapters in the future (Chapter 3 already has more than 2000 words, and I haven't written everything that I've planned for it!) Right now, only Chapter 2 has proven to be hard to write, but after that updates should be much quicker.


	2. Chapter 2

Kalista hated sailing. She hated the uncertainty of not knowing where land was when out on the open ocean, that the way the only relatively stable and dry thing under her feet constantly moved, and how the waves made her stomach ill. She couldn't see herself, but she could imagine that she was quite green at the moment. Rain battered the windows of her office onboard her ship. Her fleet had come into this freak storm quite suddenly, one moment they had been beneath clear skies, the next they had been in the middle of the worst storm that Kalista could remember.

Fearing that she would be sick again, Kalista stood from her desk and walked to a closet near the door where she retrieved her heavy oiled cloak. Perhaps she could ease some of her seasickness by going out onto the deck.

When she opened the door to her office, she was instantly soaked by the storm, her water-resistant cloak doing little to keep her dry. Every sailor on the main deck was busy trying to keep the ship upright in the storm, so they paid little mind as she walked to the starboard railing to gaze out at the sea. The storm seemed to spread for miles around them, and she wondered how they had managed to miss something so immense. A wave rocked the ship and she clutched the railing to keep from falling over. She could see two of her ships not far from their leader also continuing to struggle against the waves. Kalista watched as a large wave approached the nearer of the two vessels, and was powerless to stop as the ship slowly tipped to it's side and fell beneath the waves. She cried out, but the storm drowned her words.

That was when she noticed that the deck of her own ship was beginning to tilt, and that she found herself much closer to the waves than she previously had been. Kalista turned and found that her ship was being lifted by a wave even more immense than the one that had drowned her other vessel. She watched helplessly as the wave crested, and a wall of whitewater rushed towards her.

She felt herself being lifted by the current, and she was aware of the railing she had been leaning against getting further and further away. Kalista fought the water as her breath failed, yet all she thought as she lost consciousness,

' _I fucking hate sailing.'_

When she awoke, Kalista was in a bed dressed in soft, white linens. The room she was in was large and white, and she could see several rows of beds identical to hers lining the walls. Some of these were occupied by people she recognized to be members of her crew, however she was the only one who was conscious.

Suddenly the large double doors at the end of the room opened to two figures. Kalista sat up, catching the attention of the duo.

"Who are you and what have you done to my crew?" She demanded.

The figures looked at one another before approaching her cot.

"You must be the Captain, I presume," said the tallest of the three. The speaker was a man in his mid to late forties, who probably would have stood a full head taller than Kalista. This was a feat in itself since Kalista was not short by any means. The man wore robes as grey as his balding hair. Despite his simple appearance, he carried himself with the manner of a man of stature.

"I am," Kalista said, "I am General..."

"We know who you are, Lady Kalista," the man said, "and we know of your quest to save your Queen. Let me be the first to welcome you to the Blessed Isles." Although there was warmth in his words, his tone suggested that he was anything but pleased at her arrival. "I am Brother Segarus of the Brotherhood of the Dawn, and I apologize for the trauma you have suffered upon your arrival." Brother Segarus paused, as if he was unsure how to continue, "Four of your ships and their crews were lost to the storm that guards the Isles. The only surviving ship is badly damaged. You have been unconscious for nearly two days."

Kalista was shocked. She had found the legendary Blessed Isles, where she had hoped to finally find a cure for her aunt, the Queen. What had she sacrificed to make it this far? She had traversed the world searching for a cure, climbing mountains, hiking through forests, and finally sailing into uncharted waters, only to end stranded at the only place where she may be able to find the answer she had been seeking.

"How many of my men survived?" she asked softly at last.

"Forty three," one of the two others who had been silent up to this point finally spoke. The speaker was a grim man in his early to mid thirties, who had short, dark hair and a trim beard. He wore a robe similar to Brother Segarus's, although his was stained with dirt in places.

 _Forty three out of a group of two hundred and fifty._ Kalista thought, _I barely knew 100 of their names._ She had traveled the world with these men, and she couldn't manage to make herself feel sad to mourn them.

"You said that you recovered one of my ships," she said at last, "is there a way to get it repaired? I don't know what I have to pay with, but-"

"You won't need to pay," Brother Segarus said, "there is a shipwright in the village near our monastery who owes the Brotherhood a favor. We will work out an arrangement with him." He paused, thinking for a moment, "Either way, since it may be several days before your vessel is seaworthy again, we have prepared rooms for you and your crew here in our monastery. If you are well enough, I will have Brother Yorick show you to your room."

Brother Yorick was a grim-looking man, with a stocky build and hands that appeared to be accustomed to manual labor. Dirt stained the edges of his grey robe and around his fingernails. He wore a hood that covered the top of his hair and a neat beard lined his jaw. He could have been quite intimidating, if he weren't ever so slightly shorter than Kalista.

As Kalista moved to stand up, she realized that at some point someone had removed her armor, leaving her only in the tunic and fitted trousers that she wore underneath. The stone floor was cold on her bare feet, but she paid it no mind as Brother Yorick led her from what she presumed was the infirmary.

"Its good to see you back on your feet," Brother Yorick said, "I found you washed ashore nearly a mile from the rest of your fleet."

The morning chill bit Kalista's exposed skin when Yorick opened the door to lead her from the infirmary. Kalista could tell that it was still quite early for morning mist made a soft blanket over the grass, and the sun had yet to rise above the courtyard. The infirmary she had been in was one of several buildings that made up the monastery, all of which surrounded a central courtyard that faced the heavy, wooden gate. The whole property was constructed of heavy stone and mortar and was surrounded by a tall stone wall, making it seem like some sort of a castle from an ancient time.

Yorick led Kalista along a covered path that ran a loop around the courtyard, connecting the infirmary to several other buildings. He stopped at the first, holding the door open for her and gesturing for her to enter. Kalista entered into a hallway lined with doors that she assumed to lead to the various rooms. He led her down the hallway, around a corner and up a set of stairs to a room whose door was marked with the number 103.

"I moved any of your belongings that we found to your room," Brother Yorick said.

Kalista couldn't imagine that it had been hard to distinguish which of the things they found were hers, after all she had been the only woman who had gone on the expedition. Her uncle, the King, hadn't allowed women into his army except for Kalista, and he had barely allowed her to enlist.

She briefly thought about the reason that she had been allowed to join at all. She and her then fiance had been traveling to her uncle's summer estate when their caravan had been attacked by bandits. They immediately attacked her fiance, a noble she barely knew from some family seeking the King's favor, severely wounding him and throwing his sword far out of reach. Luckily, they had all but forgotten about Kalista, who took up her fiance's sword and slew each and every one of the attackers.

By the time help arrived, Kalista had already taken care of the bandits. Her fiance and anyone who had witnessed her knew she had a gift for combat, and her uncle personally ensured that she had only the best trainers to make sure that her gift wasn't wasted. Within a year, her uncle made her a General in his army. Since then, she had fought the uphill battle to gain the respect from her peers, not only because she was a woman, but also because she had risen through the ranks as quickly as she had. They had thought she would fail, and that she would quit as soon as she faced difficulty, but Kalista proved them wrong at every turn, and continued to do so every day.

Kalista was pulled from her thoughts as Yorick spoke again while he handed her a single iron key, "Here is the key for your room, I'll leave you to get settled… Whenever you are ready, find Brother Segarus and he can introduce you to the shipwright who will be repairing your ship." Kalista opened the door to her room, and Yorick turned and left.

The room was small, but Kalista hadn't expected much. Her trunk sat at the foot of a single small bed dressed in plain linens. She had a small desk and a single chair, and on the wall opposite the door was a small window overlooking the courtyard. Her armor and sword belt laid out on top of her trunk, and she moved it to the bed so that she could inspect the contents of her trunk. When she lifted the lid, she had feared the worst but somehow most of her belongings seemed to be dry and unaffected by the shipwreck. She withdrew a clean set of clothing and a pair of soft leather boots, which she changed into. This tunic was much longer than the one she had previously been wearing, nearly reaching her knees in the front and brushing the backs of her calves. She decided to leave her armor behind, though she slipped a small sheathed dagger into her right boot. Kalista didn't know if the Brotherhood would frown upon her carrying weapons openly, but she didn't want to leave herself entirely defenseless.

A small mirror hung above the desk, and Kalista looked into it as she pulled her long, dark hair back with a pair of pins. Kalista had never considered her appearance to be of importance, but even thousands of miles from her home and family she could hear her mother's voice in her mind nagging her about her unruly mane. After a moment, Kalista caught her own gaze in the mirror, her reflection showing the effects of months on the road and at sea. Kalista was not unattractive, but she had never been called pretty or particularly feminine, she had always known that, and the months of travel had not improved her condition. When supplies had started to run short on their journey to the Blessed Isles, Kalista had gone hungry with the rest of her crew and it showed in her face, and the months of travel beneath the open sky had tanned her skin to a color darker than any sensible noblewoman would have. She caught a spot of dirt on her cheek, and she quickly brushed it off of her face with her sleeve before turning from the mirror.


	3. Chapter 3

"When she arrived, he was standing with two other brothers tending to some of the members of her crew.

"Lady Kalista, allow me to introduce you to Brother Arcas," Brother Segarus said, gesturing toward the stranger, "he will take you to meet the shipwright who will be repairing your vessel. Anything that you find that you need while you are here, Arcas will provide."

"Kalista knew what this meant. They may be trying to seen hospitable, but the truth was that they didn't trust her. She didn't blame them, for she supposed that she would want any strangers who washed up on her island to be watched closely. She looked at Arcas and reasoned that she could have been stuck with much worse. Arcas was tall, with a build that was hard to distinguish because of his robes. He was fair, with light blonde hair that was pulled into a single short ponytail at the back of his head.

Arcas held out his hand and Kalista shook it.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, General Kalista," Arcas said.

"The pleasure is all mine," she replied.

After they had exchanged pleasantries, the duo set out for the village where the shipwright lived. Arcas led Kalista out of the monastery gates and down a dirt road. Since the monastery was on a hill, the trek was almost entirely downhill. Near the end of the path, the road became more structured, and near the edge of the village it was even paved with cobblestones.

Even though it was supposedly the largest village in the Isles, it paled in comparison to the city where Kalista was raised. The Kalista's home was the sprawling, urban capital of her uncles' kingdom, all clustered around the palace she had resided in before her expedition. This village was quite small, boasting only an inn, a blacksmith, a small harbor, and a handful of market stalls that each sold a various produce or other goods. Arcas led Kalista towards the docks, and to an unassuming wooden house adjacent to the water. Without hesitation he knocked on the door, which was answered by a little girl with strawberry blonde hair.

"Could you get your father, Ariel?" Arcas said.

Wordlessly, the little girl disappeared back inside the house, leaving the door slightly open. After a moment, a man appeared in the doorway. He had strawberry blonde hair like his daughter, although it was bleached a shade lighter from the sun, and a red mustache and beard to match.

"Arcas," the man said pleasantly, "this must be the woman whose ship I've been working on." Arcas nodded and the shipwright turned to Kalista, "Tristan Bodhi, ma'am," he introduced himself and offered his hand.

"General Kalista," she said as she shook the shipwright's hand

"Bodhi, she is hoping to see the progress on her ship," Arcas said.

"Of course," he said, "right this way."

Bodhi led Arcas and Kalista to where her surviving ship was. Upon seeing it, Kalista had to admit she was impressed at the progress that had been made for the repairs. The work that Bodhi had done was impressive, only differentiable from the rest of the ship because the wood that had been used was noticeably darker than what was used for the rest of the ship. The main mast of the ship had been completely replaced, as had a significant portion of the hull on the starboard side. Despite the progress, there was still work that needed to be done. Bodhi told her that all of the repairs so far had been to make her vessel seaworthy again, but that many of the floors in the interior would need to be replaced. Bodhi estimated that it would take at least another week before her ship was completely repaired, assuming that there were no complications.

After Kalista was satisfied in seeing the progress on her ship, Bodhi invited her and Arcas to join his family for dinner. They politely declined, only because Arcas claimed that Brother Segarus told him to return as soon as they were finished.

"He seemed nice," Kalista said, hoping to break the silence that had fallen between the duo as they left the village.

"He is," Arcas replied. "The Brotherhood cured his wife when she became ill while she was pregnant. In curing his wife Segarus managed to save their daughter as well, and Bodhi has been trying to repay that debt ever since. I suppose that's why he hasn't charged anyone for the repairs on your ship."

Somber silence once again befell the duo. Kalista's thoughts drifted to the little girl who had greeted them at Bodhi's door, and how she might not have been there if it weren't for Brother Segarus.

"So what do you do for the Brotherhood," Kalista asked, hoping to change the subject.

Arcas thought for a moment, clearly trying to choose his words carefully, "I am responsible for looking after a vault of… dangerous magical artifacts that the Brotherhood has in their possession."

"That sounds interesting," she said.

"Not really," he said, "all that I have to do is wander the shelves and make sure that nothing happens to the artifacts. It's quite boring really."

She thought for a moment. "Wouldn't that much concentrated negative energy have some sorts of side effects on you though?"

A slight smile formed on his face, "I suppose that long-term exposure could have some effects, but the Brotherhood has some safeguards in place against that." He paused for a moment, as if considering something, "Would you like to see it? It isn't that exciting, but I suppose it's better than doing nothing."

"Will the Brotherhood be alright with me going into there? I don't want to get you into trouble with your superiors," she asked.

He sent her a look that almost have been mischievous, "They won't mind if they don't know."

"Alright then," she said, "lead the way."

After entering the monastery, Arcas led Kalista towards a tiny building set apart from the main collection. "The vault is underground," he explained, "only the entrance is above ground."

The entrance to the vault was a small building no larger than a tool shed. It was made entirely of stone, the only exception being the door which was a dark, heavy metal. When they approached the door, Arcas withdrew a key from a loop on his belt and inserted it into a lock near the handle. He then opened the door, allowing Kalista to enter first.

Inside the entrance, a long, winding set of stairs led down into started down the stairs, turning just in time to watch as Arcas closed the door behind them, leaving them in total darkness.

The darkness lasted for only a moment, for one by one a series of torches in sconces on the walls began to ignite magically, lighting the way. She let Arcas lead the way down the steps into the vault below.

Eventually, the steps curved around, coming to an end at the side of a very large room. This too was illuminated by torches, the shadows they cast making the high ceiling seem even further away. The most impressive part of the room, however were the rows upon rows of shelves, all of which were filled with thousands of artifacts.

Kalista stood a few steps from the base of the stairs, taking in the enormity of the room she stood in. "What do you think?" Arcas asked.

"When you said you looked after a vault of artifacts," she said, "I imagined only a few dozen, perhaps a hundred at most, not-"

"Twenty thousand," he said, "there are more than twenty thousand artifacts in this vault. And these are just the least dangerous ones, there are even more in a higher security vault below us." He started to walk down the center aisle, turning back to add, "I'll show you."

Kalista finally moved from her place on the stairs, walking quickly to keep up with Arcas, who continued down the main aisle.

As they passed through the vault, Arcas pointed out some of the more noteworthy of the artifacts; a living book, a mirror bound with the memory of an ancient mage, a lantern capable of stealing souls from living things. Kalista briefly wondered why the lantern was not considered more dangerous, but Arcas explained that it was only dangerous if it was used.

At the end of the the room was another door, though it had no lock or handle. Instead, when they approached it Arcas waved a hand in front of the door while muttering an incantation. The door opened silently before them, revealing another flight of stairs into darkness. Arcas and Kalista stepped through the door and as it closed behind them the torches sconced on the walls ignited, illuminating the way ahead.

This set of stairs was much shorter than the first, and ended into a long hallway lined with doors.

"My mentor says that this level used to be a dungeon," Arcas said, "but it was converted several centuries ago into containment for the most powerful of the artifacts held in the vault. A sort of vault within a vault."

Something about what he said made her incredibly uneasy, but before she could act on the feeling a scream rose from one of the cells, echoing through the hallway. Kalista glanced at Arcas, but the look on his face was enough to know that something was horribly wrong.

Green light emanated from beneath one of the doors, followed by a voice that sent chills down Kalista's spine, "Arcas," it cried, "have you finally come to free me? I sense that you have brought someone with you, her soul burns bright. It will make a tasty snack for me once I am free."

"You will never be free, Rhazien," Arcas yelled back at the creature.

"Fine you fools," Rhazien cried the green energy pulsing outwards, the door buckling against the force, "I'll kill the both of you."

Kalista looked back at the door, which almost seemed to be cracking against the force, Arcas muttered an expletive. Shards of the door began to break away, flying to hit the far wall.

"Is that supposed to happen?" Kalista asked, but from the look of surprise and horror on Arcas's face she knew the answer.

Arcas thought for a moment before rushing to the first door, opening it with a wave of a hand and a quick incantation. In the cell behind it were a collection of various weapons. "I have a plan, but I need time. You're a General, so I'm assuming you can fight," he glanced back at her and she nodded. "Good, because I'm lousy with a sword. All of these weapons are safe for you to use - they won't try to steal your soul or anything, so use anything." He began running back up the stairs, adding over his shoulder, "Just buy me time - and don't die."

Kalista looked back at the Rhazien's cell door, which seemed that it would burst at any moment. Quickly, she looked at the weapons she had to choose from. A line of swords lay in a rack on the wall, with shields leaning against the wall below them. Several bows of various sizes leaned against barrels that seemed to be full of arrows. There were piles of maces and axes of varying sizes, but it was the weapons in the back that caught Kalista's eye. In the back corner was a bundle of throwing spears.

Although she was trained to use a variety of weapons and could use nearly any form of arms proficiently, Kalista had been naturally gifted with thrown weapons, specifically javelins or even spears. Without hesitation, she slung a quiver of the javelins over her shoulder, ready to face whatever broke free from its cell.

Just as she was about to leave the small armory, a blast shook the ground and a wave of green energy blew past the door. Readying one of her javelins she rushed out, prepared for anything except for what she saw.

Rhazien floated from his cell just as Kalista entered the hallway. He looked like a corpse given life, pale and gaunt, and was clad in loose black robes that blew in a nonexistent wind. Green flames burned from his hands, and all of his visible skin seemed to be covered in a series of demonic-looking black runes, and his pupil-less eyes glowed with the same green fire. When he saw Kalista, he laughed wickedly.

"Do you think those petty toothpicks will stop me," he roared, "Arcas has abandoned you. Give up now, and I will make your death as painless as possible."

Steeling herself, she let the first javelin fly, then another, then a third, each landing with a satisfying _thunk_ into the man's chest. A fourth was ready in her hand when Rhazien cried out again.

"Enough!" he cried and the three spears that Kalista had embedded into his chest were incinerated in a flash of green flame.

 _Arcas needs to hurry up_ , Kalista thought.

Rhazien began to float towards Kalista, the flames consuming his hands brightening before balls of green fire flew towards her.

Kalista lept to the side, and the fireballs flew past her and into the stone behind her. Enraged, Rhazien unleashed a torrent of fire as he approached, Kalista reciprocating with her spears whenever she could. With each throw, she found herself retreating towards the steps, ready to run if she ran out of ammunition.

As she threw, she found herself nearly coming face to face with green fire. She leaned backwards to dodge, and ended up to far to recover. Kalista fell onto her back, and Rhazien laughed and readied the fireball that would end her.

Just before he could incinerate Kalista, Rhazien looked up, she followed his gaze, and saw Arcas standing on the stairs above her, holding a lantern.

Arcas held out the lantern in front of him, and opened it's small door. Rhazien screamed as green energy seemed to rush from his body into the lantern, illuminating it with the light. Kalista could feel the lantern tugging at her own energy, and she could see tinges of blue mix with the green as Rhazien was entirely pulled into the lantern.

When the last of Rhazien was gone, Arcas closed the lantern and let out a breath that he apparently had been holding. Kneeling beside her, he asked "Are you alright?"

Kalista rose to her elbows, moving slightly to lean against the stairs, "I think so," she managed at last, "just give me a minute, I think that lantern took something out of me too." He looked at the lantern, which was now illuminated green. "Is that the lantern that steals souls?"

Arcas nodded, moving to sit on the steps beside her, "I'm sorry if I hurt you," he said, unable to make eye contact with her, "I've never had to use that before." He looked down at his hand, "To be honest, I'm actually only an apprentice, I'm not even supposed to be in the vault without supervision."

Kalista would have been furious, if she had had the energy to spare.

"Please don't tell anyone about this," he asked, "or I'm pretty sure my mentor will use the lantern on me."

He looked at her finally and she sighed, managing to force herself into a sitting position. "Fine," she said, "I won't tell anyone about this… but only because I've seen what that lantern can do."

He offered a weak smile and they sat in silence on the stairs for several minutes before Kalista had regained enough of her strength for Arcas to help her to her feet. She placed the quiver of javelins back inside their cell, then she and Arcas began to make their way back to the surface. Their pace was significantly slower than it had been before, but it wasn't long before the found themselves back in the courtyard of the monastery, the sky clear as the sun sunk to touch the edges of the tallest trees surrounding the monastery as afternoon began to turn to evening.

* * *

This chapter has honestly been what has been holding up progress on the rest of the story. I just couldn't get the motivation to write the section with Bodhi until today (there were just so many more interesting things to write). Luckily, now that this is done, the rest of the story should come much more smoothly, and I should _hopefully_ be able to release another chapter within a week.


	4. Chapter 4

It was a beautiful spring morning on the battlefield known as Summoner's Rift. This would have perfectly fine, except it was really late autumn to early winter. Kalista was summoned into the Rift along with four other people, _Champions,_ she mentally corrected herself. The four others appeared one by one until they made a circle on top of a circular dais with wide steps leading down to the field beyond. Beyond her team's base, she could see the outline of large statues leading the way down the three avenues that made up the majority of the Rift. Looking back at her teammates, she was surprised at the variety of characters she would be fighting beside.

First was a woman dressed entirely in green, and whose long dark hair was pulled into a tail that trailed down her back. She carried twin kamas and wore a mask that covered her face. She said nothing, and after quickly glancing at her teammates, she took off for the leftmost path.

The next member of her team was a large man wearing large pauldrons and carrying an even larger broadsword. With one hand he adjusted the blue scarf that lay around his neck before he followed the first woman.

The woman to Kalista's right was the first to introduce herself. "I'm Leona," she said, holding her hand out for Kalista to shake, "I'll be your laning partner for this match." Leona was dressed in golden armor, with a golden headpiece nestled in her auburn hair. Her sword and shield both glistened with emblems of the sun.

Kalista shook her hand, only to be offered another. The last member of her team was clad in golden armor, but had the head and feet of a falcon. She recognized that he must be one of the legendary Ascended of Shurima.

"I am Azir, Emperor of Shurima," he said, "I will be fighting in the middle lane, but if you require aid, you need only ask."

"Those other two who headed for the top lane and the jungle are Garen and Akali," Leona said. Kalista glanced in the direction that they had gone, but could no longer see them through the fog. "We should probably go meet our enemy laners," she said.

Kalista nodded and followed Leona towards the far right lane, while Azir strode off towards the middle. She wondered how the Summoners had convinced an Ascended emperor to join their ranks.

"I'm sure you already know how this will basically work, right?" Leona asked, and Kalista nodded, she had already been told how the match would go by the Summoners before this match had begun, "Alright, so according to the lineup for this match, we should be facing against Draven and Thresh. Draven shouldn't be too much of a problem, but watch out for Thresh. If he manages to catch you with his hook, he'll pull you towards him and Draven and there isn't anything I can do about it.

As they passed each statue towards the end of their lane, their warhammers began to glow with a blue light, she recognized that they must be the turrets the Summoners had told her about. After the last statue, there was a wide expanse surrounded by stone walls from the south, and a shallow river to the north. Ahead she could see the enemy statues, which bore a stone axe. While Kalista was looking at the stone figure, it's axe's head began to glow red, and she could see a pair of figures approaching from the other team.

The first was a man with an unusual mustache carrying two spinning axes. Although he was too far away for Kalista to make out what he was saying, she could tell that he was quite boisterous, which visibly irritated his partner to no end.

The final Champion was a green specter clad in a long, dark coat. He carried a sickle and a lantern bound together with a long chain that wrapped around him and dragged on the ground behind him when he walked. Kalista was immediately stuck by him and realized that this must be Thresh, the one who Leona had warned her about.

He must have been stuck by her as well, for when he saw her he stopped. Their eyes met, and for a moment it seemed as if time stopped around them.

"Who's the blue bitch," Draven unceremoniously broke the silence that had fallen between them. "Whatever," he said, before throwing one of his axes towards Kalista. Only her reflexes kept her from being split in half.

Draven looked visibly disappointed and dashed forward to retrieve his axe as he threw the second one. Again, Kalista nimbly dodged the projectile, and she took that moment to attack. Leaping to the side, she threw one of her spears at the unusual man, the spectral weapon lodging itself in his shoulder. A moment later, Leona joined the fight as she dashed towards Draven, sword extended. She met him in a clash of axes and sword while Draven prepared another axe.

Kalista was about to land another spear into Draven when she felt a metal hook latch onto her armor. Before she could react, she found herself dragged towards Thresh, who in the heat of the moment she had all but forgotten. Draven seemed to free himself from his fight with Leona just long enough to land both of his axes neatly on either side of the spears protruding from her back.

As her vision dimmed, she swore that she heard Thresh laughing while an announcer cried, "First Blood."

Kalista had known that the Summoners had created an altered reality in the Rift, but stopping death was something she had not been expecting. She found herself looking down on the battle from a glass room above the battlefield. She watched from this place as Leona retreated from Thresh and Draven, moving to hide behind the stone structure at the end of their lane.

Suddenly, a sound behind her made her turn, and she saw that she was joined by Azir.

"I wondered who had given First Blood," he said absentmindedly as he moved to stand next to her, watching the battle play out on the field below them. "I thought that I had honestly - Katarina proved to be more of a challenge than I was expecting."

"How long do we have to wait here?" Kalista asked.

"Not long," Azir replied, "they will bring you back at the same place that we were when we were brought to the Rift.

For a moment, they stood in silence watching the match play out below them before Azir broke the silence, "I'm curious," he began, "how did the Summoners manage to bring the Spear of Vengeance into our ranks?"

"They stole my Black Spear," she said, "and without it I am unable to leave."

Azir thought on this for a moment, "How did they manage to take it from you?" he asked.

She sighed, "I came for one of the many betrayers that the Summoners guard, Cassiopeia," Kalista paused, "She tried to kill another of the Champions, Sivir."

"I know of Cassiopeia," Azir said, "Sivir is my only living descendant. She was nearly slain nearby the Oasis of the Dawn, where her blood resurrected me."

Kalista knew, for she had been there in the temple when Azir had arisen again. She had been ready to accept the pact Sivir had nearly offered when the remains of her long-dead ancestor had stopped her. She had watched from the shadows as Azir had dipped Sivir in the rejuvenated Oasis of the Dawn which had not only saved Sivir's life, but had finished the ritual of Ascension that Azir had begun long ago.

"What did the Summoners have to do to bring an Ascended such as yourself to the Institute of War?" Kalista asked.

"The Summoners did nothing," he said, "I arrived of my own free will."

However he had no time to explain as a series of blue lights began to appear around Kalista's feet, moving to encircle her. She could see that the same was happening to Azir.

"We are respawning," he explained as the lights finished forming a circle at their feet. Suddenly they found themselves back on the Rift on the platform where they had entered.

"Till next we meet, Lady of Vengeance," Azir said with brief bow of his head before walking back towards the middle lane.

"To you as well, Emperor Azir," Kalista returned, a soft smile on her lips as she began walking back to where she was sure that Leona was waiting for her return.

* * *

When Kalista returned to the end of her lane, Leona was hiding behind their turret while Draven, Thresh, and their minions attacked it.

"Thank the sun you're back," Leona said, "I can't take them on alone."

Kalista looked at the enemy duo, catching Thresh's eye.

"We need to kill Thresh," Leona said, "without him, Draven will be vulnerable and we should be able to push them back."

Kalista nodded, desire to get revenge against her killers burning in her chest.

Without warning, Thresh struck out again, his hook aimed once again for Kalista. This time, she was ready, and she dodged the throw by dashing to her left, to Thresh's visible disappointment. As he readied his hook again, Kalista saw her opportunity and dashed forward, throwing a spear that lodged itself in Thresh's shoulder. Leona followed her attack, a golden copy of her sword rushing forward, followed almost immediately by Leona, who promptly bashed Thresh with her shield. Draven backed away from them while throwing an axe towards Leona which bounced off of her armor and landed on the ground not far from her. Kalista landed additional spears into Thresh's chest, new ones appearing in her hand almost as quickly as she could throw them. He attempted to retreat, swinging his hook to throw Kalista and Leona back. Kalista caught up to him with ease, throwing spears to both Draven and Thresh as she lunged further. Draven threw his axes to Kalista now, and she felt them bite into her. She chased Thresh all the way to his turret, Draven trying to chase her, Leona attempting to slow Draven. Just when it seemed that Thresh would escape her, Kalista followed him beneath his turret and threw a final swift spear at the retreating apparition, landing it in the middle of his back before she recalled the spears, ripping them from both Thresh and Draven to execute both of them.

The announcer cried "Double Kill!" as the enemy turret she had chased Thresh under attacked her in retribution, launching orbs of red fire towards her. Kalista took two of these bolts to the chest before finding herself once again in the glass room above Summoner's Rift. Kalista found that both Thresh and Draven were already there, staring at her when she appeared.

Draven laughed, "Stupid ghost," he said to her, "Draven always gets the kill."

"Actually," Thresh said, "I think I did." he gestured to a small scoreboard Kalista hadn't noticed before. The scoreboard had each of the members to the two teams divided into two columns, with counters for their number of kills, deaths, and assists. Kalista found her own name near the bottom of her team's scoreboard, across from Draven's, finding that she had two kills, two deaths, and no assists. She then found Thresh and Draven's scores. Draven apparently saw them also, clearly infuriated that Thresh had gotten the credit for both of Kalista's deaths.

"You stupid spirit," Draven said, the weak insult this time directed at Thresh, "you need to tell me before you try to hook someone. Draven needs to be able to get in position to get the kill."

"Well maybe if you would stop admiring your reflection in your axe blades and watch your surroundings you wouldn't always be in a bad position," Thresh retorted. He huffed, clearly irritated with his partner, muttering "You conceited moron."

Kalista couldn't help but laugh at their exchange.

Draven turned, "What did you call Draven?" he exclaimed, "You crappy Harrowing decoration!"

"If it weren't for the restrictions set by the Institute of War," Thresh said, "I would have taken your soul with my lantern long ago."

The lights signalling the trio's eminent revival appeared, and just as they were about to return to the Rift, Kalista heard Thresh say, "Maybe we wouldn't be losing if I had Kalista as my partner."

Kalista had no time to respond, for as soon as she heard those words she found herself once again in her team's base, alone.

* * *

When Kalista arrived back at the end of her lane, Leona had already led the charge against the enemy team's turret, nearly destroying it. Kalista joined the fray just in time to help Leona destroy the stone warrior, the gemstone that made up it's weapon head exploding with a small pulse of magical energy while the rest of the stone crumbled into ruin.

The sounds of their continued argument announced the return of Draven and Thresh. Even though Kalista couldn't tell exactly what Draven was currently ranting about, she caught enough to determine that it was mostly about Thresh's comment about wishing he was partnered with Kalista.

"What's got Draven so riled up?" Leona asked.

Kalista didn't bother answering, knowing she would hear from Draven soon enough.

Thresh let Draven lead them back to the fight, catching Kalista's eye and making a small gesture towards Draven. It was a small motion, but to Kalista the meaning was clear: Thresh had given up on Draven, and he wouldn't bother to help him any longer. Kalista gave a curt nod of understanding before aiming a spear at Draven.

The spear landed in his side, and Draven cried out, "Dammit, Thresh, help me!"

Thresh threw his lantern intentionally out of Draven's reach, the pulse of energy it emitted missing him by inches. Draven tried to reach for it, but Kalista and Leona had already converged on Draven, quickly finishing him off. Leona began to chase after Thresh as well, but Kalista stopped her, allowing Thresh to back away to safety.

That's how the rest of the game went, Thresh created opportunities for Kalista to kill Draven over and over and over again, never trying to land a hook on her. Kalista would return the favor by allowing him to escape with his life every time. When it came time for Leona and Kalista to attack his turrets, Thresh would back away and allow them to destroy them without resistance.

The only other time that Kalista managed to be killed throughout the entire rest of the match was when one of the members of the enemy team, a man named Pantheon, came into her's and Leona's lane in an attempt to drive them back. He had caught Kalista off guard when he quite literally fell out of the sky on top of them.

With a quick jab of the intruder's spear, Kalista found herself in the glass room waiting to be revived. She was not alone, for Azir was already in the room observing the battle below.

Kalista stood beside Azir, watching the battle below.

"When we last met," Azir began, "you said that you were captured while you were attacking Cassiopeia." He paused, "I thought you required a Pact to pursue a betrayer. If so, why did you choose to pursue Cassiopeia if Sivir did not complete her Pact?"

Kalista thought for a moment before responding, "I suppose I don't know," she said at last, "maybe there was something about the circumstances of her betrayal…" she trailed off.

"Would you have eventually targeted Xerath? He is also a traitor harbored here within the Institute of War," Azir asked.

Kalista knew of Xerath. He had been a slave, and once, Azir's closest friend. He had tricked Azir into beginning a ritual of Ascension, and at a critical moment had shoved Azir aside to become Ascended in his place. The ritual had not only failed, but had caused the destruction of all of Shurima.

"I would not have been opposed to pursuing him," she said and Azir seemed pleased.

"You are indeed an ally of Shurima," he said. She didn't plan to correct him, but her targets were all of the betrayers, not just those to Shurima, although she would admit that it would be nice to have allies within the Institute of War. "Anything you desire that is within my grasp is yours, Lady of Vengeance."

"As soon as I am free," Kalista began, "both Cassiopeia and Xerath will face my spears."

"If I may," Azir said, "I'd enjoy driving the final blow to Xerath myself."

Kalista smiled grimly, "Consider it done."

A moment of silence passed between them before Azir spoke again, "If the stories are true, you have your own betrayer to hunt, do you not? If you have not already sent them back to hell, I would be happy to help you."

Kalista's smile faded and she looked out onto the Rift sadly, "It is true that I have my own betrayer to hunt," she began, "but I cannot remember who." She paused before deciding to explain, "With every soul I have taken, my own becomes fainter within me, and my memories of my life fade with it. I remember very little of myself now," she paused, "There are days when it is difficult to remember my own name."

Azir seemed stunned, "There must be a way to retrieve you memories."

"If there is," she said, "I don't know how."

Then the lights began to circle their feet, signaling that they were about to respawn. Neither one said anything as the lights finished their rotation and they once again found themselves on Summoner's Rift.

Kalista caught Azir's gaze and could sense what seemed like pity in his eyes. She looked away and began to trek down her lane once again. Kalista could not afford to seem weak, and the last thing she needed was pity. She didn't know why she had told Azir as much as she had, she certainly hadn't needed to. Kalista could have lied, she could have said that she had already made her betrayer pay, yet she didn't.

 _No time for regrets,_ she thought, _I can think about this after the game._

* * *

The rest of the match passed without incident, her team eventually destroying each of the enemy turrets one by one until they finally crushed their Nexus. The ten champions were then transported to a single room back in the Institute of War.

Many of the champions engaged in conversations with one another, mostly congratulating Kalista's team on their victory, or blaming Thresh for allowing Draven to die over and over again to Kalista. In truth, no one blamed Thresh for finally giving up on Draven, even his own brother, who had been on his team, found him insufferable. Kalista left the room without speaking to anyone, sensing more than seeing Azir and Thresh watching her leave.


End file.
